


On Her Journey

by Shipping_Sushi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Gen, I just finished the entire game, Long-Distance Relationship, Panic Attacks, Ships are on the side, Slow To Update, Spoilers, Spoilers For The Entire Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 09:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8662642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shipping_Sushi/pseuds/Shipping_Sushi
Summary: Lillie loved her friends and family (though the latter was only occasionally true). But she strived for something more.She didn't want to be remembered as the champion's girlfriend, she didn't want to be remembered as the sister of a strong trainer, and certainly didn't want to be remembered as the daughter of a crazy lady.But looking at the massive new region in front of her, the previous options are sounding better and better.(not abandoned, but not updated frequently)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multichaptered fic, so please enjoy ladies and gentlemen.

Lillie flinched the second Hau rushed to the port with Moon right behind. Sure texting them that she was leaving on the boat was a horrible option, but seeing them right there just made the ribombees in her stomach flutter four times faster. She felt sick as Hau grabbed her by the shoulders with tears in his eyes.

 

"You're leaving?!" His voice quivered and she barely managed nodding. Her breathing sped and her vision darkened. Lillie barely heard Kukui tell him to move as they tried to wake her from her panic-induced nightmare, but she was far too gone. Her eyes clenched tight, tears falling freely.

 

Her breathing settled finally when a familiar set of arms wrapped around her. Two lips met, and relief flooded Lillie's senses. They stood there for what felt like an eternity before parting, a thin strand of saliva connecting Lillie and Moon for a few seconds.

 

"Please call us, and keep your phone handy in case you have another panic attack, and please stay safe." Moon smiled even though she was crying as much as Hau.

 

The boy hugged her too, but this one platonic. "How long do you plan on staying?" Lillie bit her lip as she wiped away tears. "I don't know. I want to beat the champion there, but that could take a while." Moon joined in on the hug, giggling. "I have a cousin from Kanto. He's said to be the best trainer ever! He got eight badges, defeated an evil crime organization, and became champion all on his first day as a trainer!" The three trainers laughed and hugged until the ship's horn blew.

 

"G-guys I gotta go. I promise I'll come back soon!" She grinned and ran on board. Her companions sniffled and the professor waved. They smiled and shouted til they were tiny specks. Lillie sighed, no turning back now. The moon glowed brightly upon her and she whispered a prayer to Lunala, to Nebby.


	2. Chapter 1: Starters

The ship didn't get there til morning, in a small town called Pallet. Professor Kukui managed to get in touch with a professor to give Lillie a pokemon, and he was right there when she got off.

 

Professor Oak guided Lillie to his lab. He had three pokemon out of their pokeballs and allowed Lillie to choose one.

 

She kneeled in front of the creatures and talked to them quietly, watching their reactions. The charmander was cute but way too aggressive for Lillie's liking. The squirtle was bubbly, but a tad too energetic. That left the quiet one in the middle.

 

Lillie slowly pet the bulbasaur, and in response it shyly repeated it's name. "This one," she breathed out, staring at her new partner.

 

Oak handed her it's pokeball, a pokedex, and a couple potions before sending her on her way. She held her starter in her arms as she rushed to the end of the lab. She ran out the door, only to fall back in with a crash.

 

"Ugh! Gramps, who's this chick?" A boy with brown hair stepped over the dazed Lillie, who he just bumped into. "Why Green, you're home early! Did you enjoy your vacation?" The boy grinned. "You bet, I got to battle the new champion in Alola! Sure I lost, but Red-" Lillie cut him off as she jumped to her feet and dusted off her skirt. "You battled Moon?!"

 

Green nodded. "Yeah that's her name- oh wait you know her right? I think you and her were on the news." The girl blushed. "Yeah, she and a couple of friends including me exposed the Aether organization." He smiled. "Well then why don't we battle? I mean you seem tough-" Lillie rapidly shook her head. "I-I don't know how to."

 

The boy raised an eyebrow before sighing. "Fine, but we'll battle soon. Just you wait!" He turned and waved to his grandfather. "Smell ya later," When he left Oak shook his head. "Sorry Lillie for my grandson, he likes to interrupt people and be a general pain." The girl sighed and finally exited the lab.

 

Route 1 was a difficult learning curb. She had seen Moon and Hau battle before, but being thrusted into that role now turned out to be a lot harder.

 

Her voice quivered as she told her bulbasaur to tackle the seventh rattata on the route. The purple color seemed to go just as well as the Alolan version's black coat. But seeing it attack her from the grass again and again became repetitive. She hadn't even reached Viridian when her cell phone rang.

 

She didn't automatically recognize the number. This meant it wasn't Hau or Moon, she knew their numbers by heart. This meant it was either a telemarketer or-

 

"What the heck are you doing in Kanto leaving  _ **ME**_ to take care of mother?!"

 

She knew he'd find out eventually. Lillie prepared to let Gladion rant for ten minutes or more but he cut it short. "I did not run away for two years so I could become a nurse while you run off to a place hours away! The second you come back you're dead." Lillie smiled internally, it was a better response than expected.

 

"Is mother doing better?" "I'm asking myself if I should throw her back to the other dimension slightly less than usual. But if you want to hear, I'll hand the phone to her." Lillie sighed. She'd have to deal with her angsty brother and crazy mother today while her bulbasaur gets mauled by rattatas.

 

"Lillie is that you?" "Uh huh, how you feeling?" Her mother sounded a lot better, more like a cold than being eaten by a monster. "Miserable. But I blame that on Gladion-" Lillie faintly heard her brother yell "Well excuse me!" in the background. "So you're in Kanto," Lillie bit her lip, waiting for a scolding. Instead she got a very different response.

 

"You children really do hate me."

 

Lillie said it wasn't true, although Lusamine probably didn't believe it. "Oh no it's fine. Neglect your ill mother."  _Well you wouldn't be sick if you didn't resist coming back._ Was a thought Lillie had but kept inside. "Mom I'm sorry-" "You just keep trying to avoid helping me. When you brought me to the mansion, the first thing you did was watch TV for an hour." "I was watching the Pokemon League battles! I wanted to see Moon win." "You could buy a million lovers but you only have one mother!" Lillie groaned. "Well I'll talk to you two later, I need to get to a pokemon center!" She immediately hung up before another word could get in.

 

Her bulbasaur crawled to her exhausted. Lillie rubbed his head and took off her bag to get a potion. A small spray and her bulbasaur was full of life again.

 

"C'mon I can see the center from here. Now let's-" She froze. Her bag was now in the beak of an eerily familiar pokemon. It's red wings flapped violently at her, and it's black eyes stared right to her and her fears. The bird shook her bag violently as items fell out. It put it's feathery appendages down on the stolen belonging just to cry out it's name and scare the poor blonde even more.

 

"Spearow! Sp-spearow!"

 

Every muscle in Lillie's fragile body was tense enough to shatter like glass. She clutched at her heart that felt like it was going to fall apart and choked out "B-bulbasaur, use t-tackle." However the second her plant partner got close the spearow used peck, sending the bulbasaur to the ground. Lillie winced at her pokemon's pain and recalled him. She closed her eyes, waiting for her own gruesome fate.

 

"Go! Greatball!"

 

Lillie opened her eyes to see her bag on the ground and a shiny blue pokeball rocking, before making a satisfying click. A trainer walked to the objects and handed them to the girl. Lillie stood awestruck.

 

"Th-thanks sir. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't come." He smiled, adjusting his red cap. "Don't mention it. I'm always happy to help out a cute new trainer." Lillie face turned a bright red. "Uh sorry but I'm gay- taken! Y-yeah." He smiled and suppressed a laugh, saying he was joking. Lillie attempted to control her blush and took the bag, but hesitated at the spearow's pokeball.

 

"You sure you want me to have that? I mean you caught it." He laughed. "Your bulbasaur isn't in any condition to fight, and you could get attacked by another wild pokemon while walking to the pokemon center." He slid it into her hand. "Better safe than sorry." Lillie held the container in shaky hands. "Well thanks-" Before she could finish the strange boy had sent out a pokemon and flew away in an orange blur.

 

She sighed and knelt to put back some of her dropped items. Then her hand slid over something cold. She picked up a white bracelet from the ground and went pale. "Wh-what's a Z Ring doing in my bag?!"

 

The center wasn't busy and she was easily able to call the one near Moon's house.

 

"Hello? Lillie! How was your first day?" The faces of Moon and Hau appeared on the monitor and Lillie smiled. Her cheeks were a very visible pink as she explained her difficulties to the screen. Moon nodded as her girlfriend practically ranted about her stressful day. Hau asked occasional questions about the pokemon, but in Lillie's mind they had all blurred to rattatas and a spearow who mugged her.

 

She asked about the Z ring, but both of her friends showed they still retained theirs. They chatted until the sun began to set and Lillie wished them goodnight. She rented a room in the pokemon center, and almost immediately passed out the second she touched the bed. It was a long day and it would be a longer tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 2: Pewter Gym

Lillie walked to the gym in Viridian almost the second she woke up. She wanted to make this gym battle as quick and painless as possible. However the doors were locked and a sign was dangling from a piece of scotch tape.

 

"H-huh? 'Gym closed, leader unpacking'." Lillie groaned. The next gym was miles away, it could take days to get there.

 

However without any other options other than wait for Arceus knows how long, Lillie journeyed to the next route. Now with the basics learned, Route 2 was less challenging. She had some troubles with her spearow listening to her, but the fact that she could barely look at it without shivering and showing obvious fear did not help her earn it's respect. In the end it just kinda stayed in it's pokeball for most of the route, only battling when bulbasaur was beginning to tire.

 

Viridian Forrest was a much different story. The trees were tall and caterpie brutally tackled her starter. Spearow refused to be helpful and ended up almost fainting from weedle poison. Bulbasaur was weakening from relentless assaults, but he and his trainer strolled through the forrest while she carried her ill bird. The thing tried to peck at her arm but it's weakened strength made Lillie fear it less, though the attacks still stung and left her wrists and the back of her hands red.

 

Trees sometimes had objects in them. Lillie's spearow crawled into a hole in a tree and found a potion (but now at full health it took fifteen minutes to get it out of the small space). Sometimes pokeballs could fall out of trees and into the grass, and a mixture of healing items would be found at the trunks of trees. However there was also loot in branches, most higher than Lillie could reach.

 

She leaped and flailed for the half a second airborne before plummeting down and repeating. Spearow was of no use as it found her hopeless attempts to reach a super potion amusing. Bulbasaur stared in worry, then it clenched it's eyes shut and concentrated.

 

"B-bulba!" The blonde's eyes widened as green vines shot from her pokemon's back. The vines wrapped snuggly around the potion and pulled it down. "Y-you- You learned vine whip!" Lillie beamed and her bulbasaur seemed to share that happiness. Spearow looked down on them from a tree branch, scoffing.

 

The seed pokemon reached all the random necessities scattered around the forest with minimal hassle. The pokemon seemed more mature and less hostile at the end of the forest. Battles with trainers were nerve racking and every time she saw a person she'd purposefully avoid eye contact.

 

After what seemed like forever, Lillie finally saw the end of the forest. A beam of light between the trees and turned the soft patches of grass and towering trees into small houses and of course a pokemon center. She immediately healed but waited on calling her friends. It wasn't even night yet, and if she hurried outside she might be able to beat the gym by night. She didn't know how long it would take, she wouldn't have to explore an open field and run around trying to find some random glowing pokemon, it'd all be in one contained building from what she heard. So she took off to the gym of Pewter City.

 

Lillie's first instinct was to run to the man standing at the end of the room. Of course she almost died of shock when a young boy met her eyes and yelled out his one-liner battle cry that every trainer without a goal to become champion had. She clutched her bulbasaur's pokeball from inside her bag and was about to reach for it before her other pokemon broke out of it's ball in a beam of light.

 

Spearow was growling and aggressively waving his wings like it had no problem with going to a rock gym where it would faint in a heartbeat. The trainer sent out the weirdest thing that Lillie almost didn't recognize as a diglett. She stared at it confused for a minute before the man in the back recognized her as an Alola native and walked over to explain that in most regions diglett don't have long manes of beautiful blonde hair, with the opponent laughing at her simple confusion before being scolded.

 

"There's lots of differences between here and Alola, if you went there you might not be able to recognize half the pokemon there." The boy shut up and they resumed the battle which Lillie felt anxious about.

 

Spearow refused to return or switch. They argued for a solid two minutes before it dawned on Lillie that despite the diglett attacking it hadn't made a single blow. The spearow kept snarling it's name at it's trainer while dodging hit after hit. Finally when it deemed the diglett more annoying than the blonde, it's wing turned a metalic silver and struck the mole on the head, instantly making it faint. Lillie's jaw dropped as spearow took out this trainer by itself. It was aggrevating because the flying type was doing solely to show off and annoy her, but she was winning so she couldn't complain.

 

Even after the arguing the battle only lasted five minutes. This left one trainer for Lillie to face: the gym leader.

 

"Good evening miss, name's Brock and I train rock-hard pokemon." He grabbed a pokeball from his belt and grinned. "I'm also single and as some would call, maybe desperate." Lillie laughed and shook her head. "Taken. Oh and also gay but that's not important." She was retrieving her own pokeball from her bag.

 

"Now you may be just outta Alola but don't think I'm going easy on you because you're new, you'll need to face every bit of Kanto's harshness!" And with a single throw, a geodude appeared to battle. Spearow shrugged it off and struck, seeing the geodude wince. Annoyed at it's survival it attacked once more, only for it's wing to be grabbed in one muscular rocky hand. Lillie gasped and her pokemon's eyes widened before a boulder manifested in it and struck the spearow. It fell to the ground with a thump and Lillie recalled it.

 

Bulbasaur was almost as anxious as Lillie. It was shaking a bit from the rock pokemon that defeated his ally. "Bulbasaur, use tackle!" It nodded looking at her before ramming into the geodude, knocking it out. Brock smiled and recalled it, only to throw out a towering pile of rocks.

 

"Onix!" It roared. Bulbasaur trembled and held it's breath. Lillie shivered when it turned it's eyes to bulbasaur but tried to keep her composure. "Onix use tackle!" Lillie squeaked as the rock snake attempted to crush her grass type. It missed by an inch, frightening the trainer so badly she thought she'd suffer a panic attack immediately.

 

"Bulbasaur, use vine whip." She coughed out. Dust from the fight was filling her lungs, she was unable to see how Brock was somehow unaffected.

 

"Onix use bind!" The creature lunged at bulbasaur and then more dust arose. When it cleared, bulbasaur was no where to be seen.

 

The onix looked just as confused as the trainers, slithering around the arena to locate the missing pokemon. Then Lillie heard a faint cry from in the onix and it toppled over, fainted. Lillie's bulbasaur crawled out of it's mouth, it's vines extended as it was to tired to withdraw it's defense.

 

"B-bulba?" "Yes bulbasaur, we won!" She almost squealed. Brock sighed and recalled his onix and pulled out a badge.

 

"This is the stone badge, badges should make your pokemon stronger and make them respect you more. Also take a TM. It contains bide. Make use of these!" He threw them and bulbasaur caught them in his vines and handed them to his trainer. Lillie quickly thanked him quickly and left.

 

On her way to the pokemon center she saw an odd pokemon. It looked like a pidgey, but it had striking blue eyes. Lillie tried throwing a pokeball at it, only for it to dodge and giggle. Not a bird-like giggle like when her spearow laughed, but something bubbly and not normal at all. It locked eyes with her and flew off to the mountains. Lillie checked her map and mentally noted her next destination.

 

Mt.Moon.


	4. Chapter 3: Mt. Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SIDE NOTE-
> 
> when I began writing the book I had not played to the Ultra Beast part yet. So the book's gonna ignore the whole taking terrible mom to Bill thing, she can be terrible in Hawaii.

Lillie didn't remember to stop at the Pokemon center, which was awful because her party was half fainted and half wounded. She only realized while half way through the route and decided to continue on despite the disadvantage. It was only a few steps to the Pokemon Center she constantly reminded herself only to be stopped by another trainer who her bulbasaur easily took out. Rinse and repeat til she finally made it to her destination.

 

Lillie took out her two wounded party members' pokeballs, and then called Moon and Hau. They, naturally, were ecstatic about her victory. "Wow if you get any better at this, we might have to battle!" Moon joked. Lillie personally thought that if she and Moon had to battle, she'd die of a panic attack.

 

She thought about renting a room, but the nurse told her how beautiful the mountain was at night, and Lillie decided that she'd make it to the next center before sunrise anyways. She'd get sleep when she gets to Cerulean City.

 

The second she almost exited, a whisper made it's way across the room. "Psst, hey kid." She saw a shady looking man on the other side of the room, and against her better judgement approached.

 

"You look like a trainer who has some skill. How would you like one of the the rarest, strongest, most legendary pokemon out there to be on your party?" Lillie nodded hesitantly, she felt like he was going to trick her.

 

He held out a simple pokeball. "Inside is a pokemon. It'll cost 500, but it's well worth it." She handed him the money despite her distrust. Worst comes to worse she releases it to it's natural habitat where it can't be sold like a potion in a Pokemart.

 

She ran into a jigglypuff and a couple rattatas along the way to the mountain, but they were rather passive. The zubats in the mountain's caves weren't as civilized however.

 

Spearow would never listen to her, and Bulbasaur would suffer from a type disadvantage. This left the new recruit, who Lillie hoped would be good against the attacking poison types.

 

In a flash of red the ball revealed an unimpressive magikarp. A check of her pokedex and Lillie learned it had only one move: Splash. She let the fish flop on the rocky floor as she threw out her spearow. It growled at her for the disturbance until it saw the defenceless pokemon being bitten by the bat pokemon around.

 

The spearow knocked one of the zubats out of the air with a single steel wing and the flock went away. It brushed it's wing against the magikarp's scales before taking her in his talons and flew off. Lillie panicked for a second, wondering if spearow ate water types like magikarp. Then she saw her bird chase after some zubat, pecking them to the ground and Lillie sighed. He was only helping grind levels for the new member.

 

"Meet you at the end of the cave!" Lillie heard a surprisingly happy chirp, affirming that her stubborn flying type would return to her.

 

She walked through the twisted cave with bulbasaur right next to her. She heard zubat cries and tried to stay far away to avoid hurting her starter. Then a pained cry echoed through the mountain.

 

"Cle-clefairy!"

 

Lillie and bulbasaur almost immediately rushed to the aid of an injured clefairy. Bulbasaur's vine whip scaring away the poisonous bats while Lillie held the poisoned fairy in her arms, searching her bag for an antidote.

 

Eventually the adrenaline fueled panic wore off and the clefairy was full of life once more due to a couple potions and an antidote. It jumped out of Lillie's arms and skipped joyfully to a different area of the cave, with Lillie and her bulbasaur in hot pursuit.

 

It stopped in front of a large stone and bowed. Lillie looked around and noticed other clefaries worshiping the stone as if they were a cult worshiping a god. Lillie checked her pokedex and found out they were rumored to have come from the moon, thus they were worshiping a moon stone.

 

The clefairies stopped whatever kind of cult meeting they had to observe the intruding blonde. They seemed thankful for the saving of a member of their clan and were anything but hostile. Bouncy, playful, and a bit endearing yet annoying, but not hostile. They reminded Lillie of Moon.

 

Then a blur of blue rushed forth and bloodcurdling screams erupted. The zubats seemed to not be happy about the scare, and took it out on the clefairies. Their poisonous attacks didn't relent against the practically defenseless fairy types. Lillie felt bite marks and cuts but wasn't focused on her own pain, but rather the pain of the pokemon.

 

Bulbasaur jumped to defend their new friends, attacking the bats with his vines. However with the bad type disadvantage the attacks did nothing to the onslaught of bats. Lillie motioned Bulbasaur to retreat, though she did not. She shielded the clefairies with her body, trying to strategize. Though bite marks stained her skin she wouldn't budge. A tug on her skirt led her eyes to the eyes of a familiar clefairy, the one she saved. The plan seemed obvious with it's gestures despite the language barrier 

 

Lillie dashed through the cave with the clefairy in her arms, searching for a small enough stone. Every single one seemed to be too big, more suited for worship. The blonde slumped against one, hope leaving her. Bulbasaur was on the other side of the horde, and even if he was with her they wouldn't stand a chance. And her spearow and magikarp weren't here-

 

A battle cry rang out throughout the cave and on cue her bird came rushing back, dropping the fish onto her lap. "Oh right all your EXP fodder is slaughtering a species." Lillie sighed as the clefairy in her arms explained in the language of pokemon their plan. Spearow glided through the cave, returning minutes later.

 

The pink pokemon exchanged a glance at the flying type before reaching out to touch the moon stone. A glow overtook it as it grew before a satisfying cry came out.

 

"Clefable!"

 

The pink pokemon flapped it's large wings and looked over at it's blonde companion who grinned.

 

They walked swiftly, Clefable was too heavy to even carry now. The zubat hordes were still attacking the defenseless fairy pokemon but they seemed to lessen their attack at the sight of the newly evolved member, as if planning to retreat. Then the fully evolved pokemon flapped it's wings violently and the cave turned chilly before the zubats were trapped in the clefable's blizzard. The second it ended the flock fled and Lillie sighed out in relief.

 

She considered catching a clefairy, she did like them alot and found the species to be cute. But they were all a family, it wouldn't be right separating them. So she just assisted the wild pokemon; healing the wounded, making sure no eggs were harmed, etc.

 

They said their goodbyes and left. Lillie didn't have much to do anymore. The zubats had left them alone so they couldn't grind levels for their new member or even for the two veterans, and the clefairies were busy resting and relaxing.

 

The bright, rising sun greeted them as the and trainer collapsed in a well deserved rest. Lillie had passed out from exhaustion that came from the adrenaline no longer pumping through her veins. So her bulbasaur snuggled close to her, and her magikarp was used as a perch for Spearow who would keep look out for the tired team.


	5. Chapter 4: Cerulean Gym

Lillie woke up to the sun shining on her face while her bulbasaur's vines were snuggly wrapped around her. She rubbed her eyes and saw her spearow pecking away at wild rattatas, curious at the peculiar sight of an unconscious trainer. Lillie stumbled to her feet and recalled her team before tripping on a ledge.

 

Rattata's pawed at her playfully while she meandered to the Pokemon center in the nearby town. There she found a mirror and fixed her messy hair as well as dusted off her dress. Then she called her friends.

 

"Wow! A whole war between zubats and clefairy?" Lillie chuckled at Hau's excitement. "It wasn't much of a war. More like a massacre with a happy ending." Moon laughed. "So it isn't your family full of optimists? Arceus, between your brother and you I can't tell who's worse."

 

"What gym are you at now?" "Uh the one in Cerulean." "Oh that's gonna be easy for you! The gym leader uses water types." Moon explained. "Well guys I'll call you after I beat the gym."

 

She walked outside the Pokemon center and easily spotted the building. The doors were locked.

 

"Great." Lillie sighed. Without a clue when the leader would be back, she decided she'd look around. A golden bridge which her Pokedex map labled 'Nugget Bridge' connected the town to a route with trainers and more wild pokemon.

 

Lillie cautiously avoided eye contact with practically every trainer, and her pokeballs were stuffed in her bag so most didn't even bother to call her to battle. It was a cowardly route she knew, but she honestly preferred to avoid fights.

 

She saw a house for a man named Bill and smiled remembering suggestions to bring her mother there. The stubborn lady had refused, insisting she was fine. Now she was Gladion's problem though so Lillie didn't worry too much about it.

 

At the end of the route was a girl with orange hair standing next to a guy. Lillie was about to turn back when her bag shook. Within seconds her spearow popped out and began to dive to the girl at the edge of the route, pecking her.

 

"Ow! Hey watch it!" The guy ran at the sight of the aggressive pokemon and the victim sighed. "And there goes another one." A golduck escaped it's ball and tossed away the bird off it's trainer with it's Psychic.

 

Lillie immediately rushed to her spearow's aid, making sure he wasn't injured. Then Lillie looked at the woman her pokemon mauled and stammered an apology.

 

"No it's fine. I've been attacked by more dangerous pokemon." She reassured. "Name's Misty, I'm the leader of the Cerulean Gym. Are you planning on challenging it?" Lillie nodded. "Well then since my date's ruined, I guess I could battle. Get 'revenge'." She said sarcastically.

 

The gym was a giant swimming area which oddly made Lillie claustrophobic. It reminded her of the paradise, the artificial island was surrounded by sea and it took all of Nebby's energy to get past the watery barrier. Shivers traveled down her spine as she remembered, but she tried to hide it. She didn't need to worry, she was safe now.

 

"You have three pokemon right?" The gym leader questioned, as Lillie's pokeballs were in her bag. They wiggled as if they sensed the upcoming battle and Lillie just nodded while gripping her strongest pokemon's pokeball.

 

"Well then I'll use three we'll be even!" The thought of her useless magikarp popped in Lillie's mind but backing down now seemed rude. Besides Bulbasaur and Spearow could take it.

 

Misty sent out a starmie first and spearow just happened to be the first to burst out of it's pokeball and agressive enough to swoop in for a steel wing. The sea star barely flinched, it's bulk showing. Rainbow colored beams came from it's red center, zapping the thing out of the sky.

 

Spearow took advantage of this and dived down into a peck, striking the starfish pokemon again and knocking it out. Then the bird rested on Lillie's shoulder, motioning for her to send out a different member for the next opponent.

 

Misty ended up sending out a gyarados. A freaking giant serpent monster that could snap her in half with it's rawr alone.

 

Eh after living with her mother and brother for years it seemed rather passive in comparison.

 

She knew it was a flying type, so her bulbasaur wouldn't be the best option, leaving one choice.

 

Magikarp splashed in a docile manner for minutes while the giant monster above the poor thing gnawed on her hard scales. Eventually it splashed into Lillie's arms while in a daze and Lillie nudged her sleeping flying type, it looking annoyed at her from having to participate in another battle. Then it looked down to the poor fish in her arms and seemed to sigh before charging at the gyarados with Peck.

 

The sharp jab seemed to critically injure the creature, Spearow's beak digging into it's skin and drawing blood. Gyarados shouted in pain as waters rose around the pair before Surf struck the normal flying type.

 

It shook off the drips, his feathers floofing like a fluffy pokemon thrown in a washing machine. He launched at the sea serpent with it's wing glowing like metal. The gyarados charged up a hyper beam.

 

All Lillie saw in a second was bright light exploding in the arena and two cries of agony. Then both flying types plummeted to the ground, fainted. Misty clapped.

 

"Wow, I didn't know a spearow could dish out that much damage!" Lillie shrugged. "I didn't do anything. Like it isn't impressive, I haven't opened my mouth to tell it anything." The gym leader nodded. "Was it wild? Or did you get it from a trainer? Previously trained pokemon tend to not listen and grow stronger." Lillie paused for a moment.

 

The boy had given it to her. But it was more of a gift, her own pokemon rather than a companion the guy gave her fairly. Lillie knew the difference from Moon. If you don't trade an equal pokemon for it and if it's never been used then it doesn't grow anywhere as fast as traded pokemon.

 

She shook her head and grabbed her partner's pokeball. She can worry about the rebellious bird later. Now she was in a match and couldn't loose. Spearow's pokeball was in her bag, her magikarp rested in one arm and the other was releasing her bulbasaur.

 

It's opponent was the same golduck that escaped it's trainer's pokeball at the end of that route, and it was just as strong. The first attack was it launching bulbasaur across the building, the grass type hitting the wall with a painful thud.

 

Lillie grabbed her pokedex and gulped. Bulbasaur was a poison type. Her only pokemon with an advantage was pretty much screwed.

 

Still he got back up and pulled himself to the ceiling with vine whip, clinging tight to avoid being flung by the water pokemon's relentless attacks.

 

Misty grinned, knowing she'd probably win and told Golduck to go into the water. It nodded and dived into the clear depths before springing up and grabbing the grass type. Then, at a dangerously close range, sprayed it with water gun.

 

The resistance helped only slightly, but the quick fall definitely hurted. Her poor pokemon was limping, wailing in pain. Lillie bit her lip. Maybe if she hadn't avoided trainers, maybe if she had grinded on easier wild pokemon, maybe if she hadn't left..

 

Bulbasaur limped over to her and nuzzled her leg. Lillie held back tears and pet him. "It's ok. We'll probably loose, but we'll train and come back." She smiled sadly and her partner shook it's head, turning back to the golduck.

 

"Bulba!" It cried aggressively. "B-bulba bulbasAUR!" A white light enveloped it as it screamed and Lillie froze. It was too good to be true. Was her starter really-

 

"Ivy!" It turned to her in his new form with a smile and Lillie couldn't help but return it. "Ivysaur! Use razor leaf!" It nodded as leaves emerged from it's more developed bulb and surrounded Golduck before sinking into it's skin in a painful way, similar to her spearow's peck. Then it fell to it's knees and collapsed.

 

Misty chuckled. "You remind me of a kid I knew, he was one of the few who could ever turn a losing battle in his favor." She mentioned while handing her the Cascade Badge and a TM for water pulse. "If you ever meet him, tell him I said hi." The blonde nodded as she headed to the pokemon center, Magikarp splashing in her arms and Ivysaur nuzzling her. Even spearow's pokeball shook from the bag, like a way of telling her congrats.

 

Lillie sighed. They would probably have to grind all day tomorrow if they want to stand a chance against the third gym.


	6. Chapter 5: Diglett's Tunnel

The darkness was the most striking thing about the tunnel. That and the weird, bald digletts the cave was named after. All of them burrowing through, not giving Lillie a moment of quiet. At least they were easy to avoid, though a couple challenged her to battle. Her newly evolved ivysaur knocked them out quickly with the type advantage. It almost made Lillie feel guilty, but at least it was free EXP for her magikarp.

 

The diglett just kept tunneling through, digging intricate miniature paths, creating a constant pattern of sound.

 

_diglett dig diglett dig diglett dig diglett-_

 

A soft cry interrupted the monotonous background sound. Lillie tried to ignore it, only for it to double in volume.

 

  _Cuuuuuu!_

 

A cry for help rings out and Lillie sucks up a deep breath before dashing through the cave. It sounds like it's in danger.

 

A vibration from her bag, startles Lillie as she trips over a ledge. Ivysaur sighs and pulls out her phone with a vine.

 

The call is from Gladion.

 

"Hi-" "What happened? Is the paradise on fire? Are you being mauled by wild Pokemon? Is mom dead?" She says the sentences with a surprising amount of apathy, still dusting off her skirt. "No, I just wanted to check up? Like I haven't heard from you in quite a bit-" The cry echoes again and without realizing Lillie had hung up on her brother while dashing towards the sound.

 

A lone cubone sat in solitude, surrounded by the diglett's working. The other small ground types ignored the odd thing away from it's home and continued their lifestyle.

 

Lillie stepped next to the poor thing and kneeled down. Tears stained it's dirty, white skull. The blonde wiped away a falling drip of it's saddness.

 

"H-hey what's wrong?" The ground type looked at her sadly. "Are you lost or something?" A nod. "Can I help you?" Another nod.

 

"Well I kinda don't get what you're saying and uh I'm trying to get to the Pokemon League-" At that moment the little cubone's eyes widened and it practically jumped into her bag. It came out with her pokedex and Lillie flipped to the map.

 

Cubone was anxiously tapping at the spot labeled Lavender Town.

 

The blonde nodded then. "Well then I have to pass there anyways, so why don't you come along? I can get you there." A final nod as Lillie extracted a new pokeball from her bag. Cubone gently tapped it as the capsule opened and sucked him up. Three shakes in her hand and a satisfying snap.

 

The cave exit drew closer. Vermilion City was almost there-

 

A laugh echoed throughout the cave, similar to the cry in every thing but tone.

 

A diglett nudged her with a shard on it's head. At first thinking it was glass, Lillie snatched it off to prevent the wild pokemon from injuring itself but then looked in her hand.

 

A _Groundium Z._

 

The diglett giggled, glowing and morphing into so many things at once and a flicker of pink later it had disappeared.

 

Lillie stared at the spot for a couple seconds before turning back to the exit. With a sigh she stepped out into the next city.


End file.
